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G. Goss



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    ED 07 - How to Treat Advanced Squamous Carcinoma of the Lung (ID 7)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Education Session
    • Track: Treatment of Advanced Diseases - NSCLC
    • Presentations: 1
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      ED07.02 - Current State of the Art (ID 1799)

      14:40 - 15:00  |  Author(s): G. Goss

      • Abstract
      • Presentation

      Abstract:
      Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung accounts for 20-30% of all non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Until recently, treatment options for advanced squamous NSCLC (sqNSCLC) were limited. Compared to non-squamous NSCLC, standard care of sqNSCLC was restricted to first-line platinum-based doublet chemotherapy and second-line docetaxel or the epidermal-growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, erlotinib, and did not include pemetrexed because of inferior efficacy[1], bevacizumab because of increased risk of pulmonary hemorrhage[2] or agents active against known oncogenic driver mutations. Prompted by the high levels of EGFR overexpression in sqNSCLC and encouraging activity of EGFR-targeted therapies in patients with squamous histology [3,4] EGFR-inhibition trials limited to patients with sqNSCLC were initiated, the results of which are redefining the treatment of sqNSCLC. In the first-line setting, the addition of the second-generation recombinant human IgG1 EGFR monoclonal antibody (Mab), necitumumab, to gemcitabine and cisplatin has been shown to improve overall survival (OS) 11.5m vs 9.9 m (HR: 0.84, 95%CI: 0.74-0.96) in the phase III open-label SQUIRE trial, with comparable adverse events (AE) leading to treatment discontinuation in both treatment arms.[5] The better tolerability of necitumumab over the first-generation chimeric EGFR Mab, cetuximab, is supported by the similar OS efficacy in patients with good (PS: 0-1) (HR: 0.85, 95%CI: 0.74-0.98) and poor performance status (PS=2) (HR: 0.78, 95%CI: 0.51-1.21), in the absence of additional safety risk.[6] In fact, in SQUIRE, necitumumab was notably more effective at higher levels of baseline symptom severity[7] , which is contrary to the belief that patients with sqNSCLC deteriorate too quickly to benefit from combination approaches. In the second-line setting, the newer second-generation EGFR small molecule inhibitor, afatinib, has also been shown to improve OS. Most recently, the results of the phase III LUX-Lung 8 trial of afatinib vs erlotinib in patients with sqNSCLC progressing after four cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy have been published, demonstrating improved OS with afatinib 7.9m vs 6.8m (HR: 0.81, 95%CI: 0.69-0.95), with similar adverse events profiles noted between groups.[8 ]Based on these results, afatinib is clearly a treatment option for patients in the second-line management of sqNSCLC. Together, the recent results of these small molecule and MAb anti-EGFR studies support the continued relevance of EGFR as a target in the treatment of sqNSCLC and are shaping management strategies. Despite being a hallmark of cancer, the inhibition of angiogenesis has historically proven challenging in the treatment of patients with sqNSCLC due to the central location of these tumors and their close proximity to large blood vessels in the chest wall, and has been associated with an increased risk of bleeding. Findings from newer second-generation angiogenesis inhibitors, however, show comparable levels of gastrointestinal and respiratory tract bleeding events across all NSCLC histologies. [9 ] Compared to placebo, the anti-VEGFR-2 IgG MAb, ramucirumab, has recently been shown to improve progression-free survival (PFS) 4.5m vs 3.0 m (HR: 0.76, 95%CI: 0.68-0.86) and OS 10.5m vs 9.1m (HR: 0.86, 95%CI:0.75-0.98) in patients with advanced NSCLC progressing after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, with significant improvements in patients with squamous histology in terms of overall objective response (ORR) (26.8% vs 10.5%, p=0.001), disease control rate (59.9% vs 45%, p=0.015) and PFS 4.2m vs 2.7m (HR 0.78, 95%CI0.61-0.96) and a numerically superior OS benefit 9.5m vs 8.2m (HR: 0.88, 95%CI: 0.69-1.13). [9 ] In Dec 2014, ramucirumab received FDA approval for use with docetaxel in the second-line management of advanced NSCLC, including patients with squamous histology. Finally, the inhibition of T-cell activation through programmed death (PD-1) receptor interaction with the tumor expressing PD-L1 ligand (immune checkpoint) is a noted mechanism of tumor immune surveillance escape in NSCLC. From early clinical trials immune checkpoint blockade is an attractive therapeutic strategy in NSCLC, given its ability to activate the immune system and produce long-term response. In the management of sqNSCLC, the fully human IgG4 anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, nivolumab, has recently replaced docetaxel as the preferred second-line therapy based on the results of CHECKMATE 017 [10], a phase III study of nivolumab versus docetaxel. Findings in CHECKMATE 017 demonstrated improved median OS 9.2m vs 6.0m (HR: 0.59, 95%CI: 0.44-0.79) and improved 1-year survival over docetaxel (42% vs 24%), with a more favorable safety profile and fewer treatment related grade 3/4 AE (7% vs 55%).[10] With the recent FDA approval of nivolumab in the second-line setting in March 2015, docetaxel will likely be relegated to third-line therapy in the management of sqNSCLC. However, additional studies are required to confirm the results of CHECKMATE 017 given the lower than expected median survival observed in the docetaxel arm, to identify biomarkers of response, and to better define the unique toxicities associated with these immune-modulating agents. The last year has seen an unprecedented evolution in the management of sqNSCLC, with survival gains noted in both the first and second-line setting in randomized clinical trials. Unfortunately, to date the identification of oncogenic driver mutations in sqNSCLC have yet to yield the significant improvements seen in non-squamous histology, however it is likely that the relevant biomarkers of efficacy will soon be identified. Regardless, with the current regulatory approvals and the numerous novel agents in development, improved outcomes in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung are anticipated. The immediate task, with the expanded treatment options now available for sqNSCLC, is the interrogation of new combinations and the sequencing of available therapies to maximize the benefit for this historically underserved subgroup of patients with NSCLC. References 1. Scagliotti G, Brodowicz T, Shepherd FA et al. Treatment-by-histology interaction analyses in three phase III trials show superiority of pemetrexed in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. J Thorac Oncol 2011; 6: 64-70. 2. Johnson DH, Fehrenbacher L, Novotny WF et al. Randomized phase II trial comparing bevacizumab plus carboplatin and paclitaxel with carboplatin and paclitaxel alone in previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol 2004; 22: 2184-91. 3. Pujol JL, Pirker R, Lynch TJ et al. Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized trials of chemotherapy plus cetuximab as first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Lung Cancer 2014; 83: 211-218. 4. Kim JH, Grossi F, De Marinis F et al. Afatinib monotherapy in patients with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the lung progressing after erlotinib/gefitinib (E/G) and chemotherapy : interim subset analysis from a phase III trial. Proc Am Soc Clin Oncol 2012; 30 (suppl 15): abstr 7558. 5. Thatcher N, Hirsch F, Luft A et al. Necitumumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin versus gemcitabine and cisplatin alone as first-line therapy in patients with stage IV squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (SQUIRE): an open-label, randomized, controlled phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol 2015; 16(7): 763-774. 6. Socinski M, Luft A, Szczesna A et al. Subgroup analyses by performance status (PS) in the phase III SQUIRE study: First-line necitumumab (N) plus gemcitabine-cisplatin (GC) vs. GC in squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). J Clin Oncol 2015; 33:suppl; abstr e19023. 7. Reck M, Gralla RJ, Bonomi P et al. Maximum severity score (MSS) of baseline patient-reported Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS) as a prognostic and predictive factor for overall survival (OS) in the Phase III SQUIRE study. ASCO Meeting 2015 abst; 33: 8099. 8. Soria J-C, Felip E, Cobo M et al. Afatinib versus erlotinib as second-line treatment of patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung (LUX-Lung 8): an open-label randomised controlled phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol 2015; dx.doi.org/10.1016/s1470-2045(15)00006-6. 9. Garon EB, Ciuleanu TE, Arrieta O et al. Ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus placebo plus docetaxel for second-line treatment of stage IV non-small cell lung cancer after disease progression on platinum-based therapy (REVEL): a multicentre, double-blind, randomized phase 3 trial. Lancet 2014; 384: 665-73. 10. Brahmer J, Reckamp KL, Baas P et al. Nivolumab versus Docetaxel in advanced squamous-cell non small cell lung cancer. NEJM 2015; doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1504627.

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    MINI 16 - EGFR Mutant Lung Cancer 2 (ID 130)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Mini Oral
    • Track: Treatment of Advanced Diseases - NSCLC
    • Presentations: 1
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      MINI16.08 - AZD9291 in Pre-Treated T790M Positive Advanced NSCLC: AURA2 Phase II Study (ID 1406)

      17:25 - 17:30  |  Author(s): G. Goss

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background:
      The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation is found in about half of patients who have developed resistance to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), gefitinib or erlotinib. AZD9291 is an oral, potent, irreversible EGFR-TKI selective for both EGFR-sensitizing (EGFRm) and T790M resistance mutations. In the Phase I AURA study, AZD9291 80 mg (dose selected for further evaluation) was found to be clinically active, with an acceptable tolerability profile. This ongoing AURA2 Phase II study (NCT02094261) investigates the efficacy and safety of AZD9291 80 mg once daily after previous EGFR-TKI treatment in patients with EGFRm and T790M positive advanced NSCLC.

      Methods:
      AURA2 (NCT02094261) is a global, open-label, single-arm Phase II study. To be eligible, all patients had a mandatory tumor sample taken after disease progression on the most recent line of therapy, for confirmation of T790M positive status by central laboratory testing using the cobas™ EGFR Mutation Test. Further inclusion criteria included measurable disease, World Health Organization performance status (WHO PS) 0 or 1, and acceptable organ function; stable brain metastases were allowed. Patients receive AZD9291 at 80 mg once daily until disease progression. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) according to RECIST 1.1 (assessed by independent central review, ICR). Secondary objectives included disease control rate (DCR), duration of response (DoR), progression-free survival (PFS), and safety. Planned enrollment was 175 patients to give an ORR with 95% confidence interval (CI) within ±8%. The data cut-off was January 9, 2015.

      Results:
      Recruitment is complete and 210 patients were enrolled; 12 patients did not have measurable disease at baseline by ICR and are excluded from the evaluable-for-response set. By central testing, in addition to T790M, patients had background EGFR mutation: Ex19del, 65%; L858R, 32%; other, 3%. Baseline characteristics: median age, 64 years; female, 70%; WHO PS 0/1, 40%/60%; Asian, 63%; second-/≥third-line, 32%/68%. Median treatment exposure was 4.0 months and 183 patients remain on treatment at the data cut-off. ORR by ICR was 64% (127/198; 95% CI 57, 71) and DCR was 90% (95% CI 85, 94). Investigator-assessed ORR was 64% (135/210; 95% CI 57, 71). Median DoR and median PFS have not been reached (maturity 6% and 20%, respectively). The estimated proportion of patients who are alive and progression free is 82% and 70% at 3 and 6 months, respectively. The most common all-causality adverse events (AEs) were diarrhea, 34% (1% Gr≥3) and grouped rash terms 40% (0.5% Gr≥3); 38 (18%) patients experienced Gr≥3 AEs. Interstitial lung disease grouped terms were reported in four (1.9%) patients, one of which was fatal (0.5%) and considered possibly causally related to AZD9291 by the investigator. Eight patients (4%) discontinued treatment due to an AE. Updated results from a later data cut-off will be available for presentation.

      Conclusion:
      AZD9291 80 mg once daily demonstrates clinical activity and manageable tolerability in patients with EGFRm, T790M mutation positive advanced NSCLC that has progressed on or after EGFR‑TKI treatment. AZD9291 is being investigated in the randomized AURA3 Phase III study (NCT02151981) in comparison with platinum-based doublet chemotherapy.

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    MINI 29 - Meta Analyses and Trial Conduct (ID 156)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Mini Oral
    • Track: Treatment of Advanced Diseases - NSCLC
    • Presentations: 1
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      MINI29.06 - Are Clinical Trial Eligibility Criteria an Accurate Reflection of a Real World Population of Advanced Lung Cancer Patients? (ID 1398)

      19:00 - 19:05  |  Author(s): G. Goss

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background:
      Modern systemic treatment options for advanced NSCLC have largely been established from clinical trials (CTs). It is estimated that less than 10% of cancer patients enter a CT, but this subgroup drives oncology practice and impacts treatment decisions for other cancer patients. The advantage of CTs comes from solid internal validity and stringent methodology. Nonetheless, the generalizability of CTs could be questioned due to the high selectivity of eligibility criteria. We investigated clinical trial eligibility in an unselected NSCLC population

      Methods:
      With ethics approval, a retrospective chart review was performed of patients with de novo advanced NSCLC assessed by medical oncologists at a large academic cancer centre, serving a mixed urban and rural population, between September 2009 and September 2012. Data collected included patient demographics, stage, performance status, histology, treatment details and outcome. Two sets (A and B) of arbitrary eligibility criteria were created using common criteria from phase 3 CTs. These criteria were applied to this cohort to identify the proportions of patient who would hypothetically qualify for CT enrollment. Criteria A required: ECOG 0 or 1, absence of brain metastases, Creatinine < 120 and the absence of second malignancy. Criteria B, allowing broader inclusion, only required ECOG 0-2 and Creatinine < 120. We investigated survival among eligible/ineligible and treated/untreated patients.

      Results:
      528 patients were included: 55% male; 50% ECOG 0-1; 58% adenocarcinoma, 22% squamous cell; 7% stage IIIB and 93% stage IV. Using the strict CT criteria (A), only 144 (27%) patients were considered eligible. Of those, 79% actually received systemic therapy. From 384 patients who would have been ineligible for the CT, 178 patients (46%) still received systemic therapy. There was a trend to longer median overall survival (mOS) in the eligible treated compared to eligible non-treated patients (11.6 vs 8.1 months p=0.12). mOS was significantly longer in the non-treated eligible cohort compared to the non-treated ineligible cohort (8.1 vs 3.8 months p=0.003). The eligible treated and non-eligible treated had similar mOS ( 11.6 vs 10.2 months, p= 0.10). When less strict eligibility criteria (B) were applied, 343 patients (65%) would have been eligible, of whom 240 patients (70%) actually received systemic therapy. From the remaining ineligible 185 patients, only 51 (28%) received treatment. The mOS was similar in the treated patient whether eligible or ineligible (10.9 vs 10.1 months, p=0.57). As seen in criteria A, significantly longer mOS was observed in the eligible untreated compared to the ineligible untreated ( 4.9 vs 3.5 months p<0.001).

      Conclusion:
      While clinical trial criteria restrict study entry to the fittest patients, these results suggest that they do not reflect the broader patient population, as many ‘ineligible’ patients received therapy. Extrapolation of treatment paradigms to non-trial eligible populations is common, and may be reasonable based on these results. We observed similar survival among treated patients, whether trial eligible or not. This suggests that clinical judgement is more important than trial eligibility. In order to broaden trial participation, we could hypothesize that trial eligibility criteria could be relaxed.

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    ORAL 02 - PD1 Axis Immunotherapy 2 (ID 87)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Oral Session
    • Track: Treatment of Advanced Diseases - NSCLC
    • Presentations: 1
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      ORAL02.08 - Discussant for ORAL02.05, ORAL02.06, ORAL02.07 (ID 3322)

      12:01 - 12:11  |  Author(s): G. Goss

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Abstract not provided

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    ORAL 32 - EGFR WT and MT Targeting (ID 144)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Oral Session
    • Track: Treatment of Advanced Diseases - NSCLC
    • Presentations: 1
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      ORAL32.01 - Tumor Genomic Analysis from LUX-Lung 8: A Phase III Trial of Afatinib versus Erlotinib in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung (ID 1401)

      16:45 - 16:56  |  Author(s): G. Goss

      • Abstract
      • Presentation
      • Slides

      Background:
      Overexpression of EGFR and other ErbB receptors, and/or dysregulation of their downstream pathways are implicated in the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung, generating interest in exploring EGFR/ErbB-targeted agents in this setting. Recent analyses from the global LUX-Lung 8 trial (n=795) in patients with SCC of the lung demonstrated that second-line afatinib (an irreversible ErbB family blocker) conferred overall survival (OS; median 7.9 vs 6.8 months; HR [95% CI] 0.81 [0.69‒0.95]; p=0.008) and progression-free survival (PFS; median 2.6 vs 1.9 months; HR [95% CI] 0.81 [0.69‒0.96]; p=0.010) benefit over erlotinib (a reversible EGFR inhibitor). To assess biomarkers for efficacy for these agents in SCC we conducted an exploratory analysis using archival tumor tissue collected at time of study entry.

      Methods:
      Among all randomized patients, samples were retrospectively enriched for those from patients with PFS >2 months and appropriate controls (PFS ≤2 months; Figure 1) and were selected for analysis using the Foundation Medicine (FM) FoundationOne™ next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform (n=433); 300 cancer-related genes were analyzed for copy number alterations (CNAs), rearrangements and single nucleotide variants (SVs). Preliminary results from the 238 samples analyzable so far (~30% of the randomized patients), focusing on genomic alterations of EGFR and their potential association to survival endpoints PFS and OS, are presented.

      Results:
      Fourteen EGFR SVs (5.8%) were detected of which 10 were novel with unknown clinical significance (Figure 1). Figure 1 Four had been previously reported; 2 (E114K [afatinib arm], Q1021* [erlotinib arm]) occurred in the non-kinase domains and 2 (L861Q [afatinib arm], L858R [erlotinib arm]) in the kinase domain. The frequency of EGFR CNAs (n=15 [6.3%]; afatinib: 9; erlotinib: 6) was also low. At the time of these ongoing analyses, these low frequencies of EGFR mutations/amplifications were deemed not to be associated with the observed improvements in PFS and OS. Genomic alterations aggregated across two key gene groups (ErbB and FGF families) and their association with survival outcomes will be presented.



      Conclusion:
      The frequency of EGFR genomic aberrations in the samples tested was low. Based on this analysis of a subgroup of patients, PFS and OS improvements conferred by afatinib in LUX-Lung 8 were not driven by the presence of activating EGFR mutations or amplifications and may be related to afatinib’s ability to inactivate multiple aberrant signaling cascades associated with, and downstream of, ErbB receptors.

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    P1.01 - Poster Session/ Treatment of Advanced Diseases – NSCLC (ID 206)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Poster
    • Track: Treatment of Advanced Diseases - NSCLC
    • Presentations: 1
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      P1.01-034 - Is There A "Physician Effect" in Medical Oncology? (ID 1408)

      09:30 - 09:30  |  Author(s): G. Goss

      • Abstract
      • Slides

      Background:
      Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the commonest cause of cancer death globally, with a 5-year survival of 16%. Known prognostic factors include stage, performance status (PS) and gender, but does the choice of physician affect patient outcome? We assessed practice variations of four medical oncologists treating advanced NSCLC, investigating this impact on overall survival (OS).

      Methods:
      Following ethics approval, a retrospective analysis was undertaken of all newly diagnosed stage 4 NSCLC patients seen in out-patient consultation at our institution between 2009 and 2012. All physicians accepted unselected lung cancer referrals and all patients are included. Baseline demographics, systemic therapy received, reasons for not receiving therapy, and OS data were collected. Cox regression analyses (univariate and multivariate) were employed to assess determinants of OS. The physicians were blinded to the results.

      Results:
      Overall 528 patients were included. Baseline characteristics are shown in table 1. A significant variation was noted in the proportion receiving any systemic chemotherapy (p≤0.01) [D(60%), L(65%), R(43%), M(52%)] (Figure 1A). However OS was not statistically significantly different among all patients (p=0.47), among treated patients (p=0.18) or among untreated patients (p=0.22)(Table and Figure 1B). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with survival were PS (p<0.01), weight loss (<5%, ≥5%)(p<0.01), WBC (<11, ≥11)(p=0.0588) and platelets (<400, ≥400)(p=0.0374).Figure 1

      Demographic Overall (n=528) Physician R (n=137) Physician M (n=118) Physician D (n=115) Physician L (n=158) p-value
      Median Age 68 70 68 67 67 0.23
      Gender (male) 55% 58% 58% 49% 56% 0.42
      PS (0-1) 50% 47% 48% 50% 55% 0.01
      Hg (<100) 6% 11% 3% 4% 4% 0.01
      LDH (<250) 28% 21% 30% 27% 33% 0.09
      Platelets (<400) 71% 64% 75% 78% 70% 0.12
      Weight loss (>5%) 48% 49% 48% 46% 49% 0.87
      WBC (<11) 62% 56% 68% 68% 60% 0.11
      Received ≥ 1 line systemic therapy 55% 43% 52% 60% 65% <0.01




      Conclusion:
      While practice size and proportion of patient treated did vary between oncologists, these did not translate into significantly different survival. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of baseline characteristics between the 4 oncologists and this could cause the differences in proportion of patients treated. We hypothesize that as long as the oncologists are well trained and display good practice, survival is not dependant on the individual. This research does not measure other valuable characteristics or outcomes such as rapport, compassion, and quality of life, which may differ between physicians.

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